Future Islands
by WooperPooper
Summary: Everyone has a dream or goal, but whether or not it's attainable is a different question. Nick realizes through his teammates it doesn't matter if one's aspirations are within reach or not, what matters are the drives they provide to pursuit survival. A collection of unrelated one-shots focusing on Nick's point-of-view during the apocalypse.
1. On the Water

On the Water

* * *

Everyone had an island, a dream, a goal, an aspiration to achieve. Nick slowly had collected together fragments of conversations for this idea after encountering the second group of survivors on the bridge.

He settled on this restless thought while at a small, abandoned town off the side of a highway. During one particular night, the group found a room secure enough to sleep in. As soon as the others were asleep, Nick armed himself with adequate ammo and first aid and left the temporary haven for a walk outside. It wasn't as if he didn't know it was a bad idea to go out alone, it was just a force of habit he'd done for years on end.

Sometimes it slipped his mind how old he was whenever he thought about the amount of walks he'd taken. Too many to count, Nick thought. His nocturnal tendencies branched into his past because of a family he could only call "family" due to blood. Otherwise, the word didn't apply in any sense. He often would escape through his room's broken window at night because that's when his mother and dad – he didn't even know if it was his dad; he had overheard his mother one night talking about how "that piece of shit" abandoned her after a positive pregnancy test – got into the worst verbal exchanges. It sickened Nick to hear her and, her supposed, loved one argue constantly. As a child, it was terrifying. So terrifying, it compelled him to escape the house countless nights into the dark neighborhood. He, through trial and error, found a pathway riddled with abandoned junk that leading to a park on the other side of town. It brought him to a lake, which acted as a consoler for Nick; it was the only time of peace.

Unlike back then, there was no lake to go to now, but Nick was used to this after his life on the run. His conman work often called for constantly changing locations. As a result, there was never a solid place he could go to in order to attain peace of mind. That is, if he could evoke it. He wasn't so sure anymore.

Nick walked out of the rundown hotel they tucked themselves away in. There probably wouldn't be a body of water for a while, he thought.

Some debris crunched under his footsteps as he wandered around the ruined road. The moon was bright and almost tricked Nick into thinking it was daytime. If that were the case, he would've had to go get the others to continue their trek through the country, or whatever the hell they'd call it. He could care less about what to correctly address it as. It was safer to travel during the day, although they did venture through the carnival at night. That wasn't an option though; they had to because of the cramped freeway.

He caught a glimpse of a fallen billboard on the side of the road.

_Islands_, it said.

Islands…

Something clicked in his head. He suddenly remembered the group's encounter back at the passing. There was a girl, a man in a tie, and a filthy ape. Nick hated the last one. He waved away the unpleasant thought quickly as if it were a fly buzzing around him.

While his group was resting up in a room, it was his turn to take watch while they rested. He was walking around again when he overheard the second survivor group talking. Remaining in the shadows, he listened to their conversation.

"I think we should go to the islands," the deeper voice said. "It's better than this hellhole. I bet there are supplies there. We could even grow shit to eat or whatever assuming it's abandoned."

"We know, Francis. It does sound great. I wouldn't mind going myself. We should at least wait until my leg heals up, though," the other male voice said. Must have been Louis. "Hey, you okay?"

"What?" It was the girl. She sounded uncaring.

"You okay?" Louis asked.

"Yeah, just fine."

"Okay. I know you don't want to go, but-"

"No, I understand. It's just that Bill… He'd want us to go, right? I don't know…" Zoey trailed off.

"We know, Zo. We know," Francis mumbled.

After overhearing this, Nick walked back to the safe house, but took a few minutes looking at the vast water outside the room.

Islands…

It sounded ideal. It really did.

Nick shook his head as if it helped him get out of the memory. He assumed Zoey, Louis, and Francis were talking about a real place, but he wondered if they were putting its potential greatness on a pedestal. They had a goal in mind, a future island, be it real or not; Nick didn't know if they were just making things up to feel better about the old man's death. Even if he was interested, he didn't want to pry.

There were far too many times in his own life where he put hopes, and even memories and past relationships, on a pedestal that burned so brightly in his mind, his life would become empty in comparison. He harshly learned how easy it was to wrap his mind around the non-existent happiness and hope; he swore to never do it again.

Until now.

He didn't have hope until he met these people. _Real_ hope. Not that empty sentence "life will get better, just hope" people told him, but instead a tangible, solid, seeable, and hearable source of hope. They were real. It was no doubt that he tried to remain distant from them, because of course he did, but he found the more time he spent with them, the more he could trust them and the fonder he grew of their presence. He didn't need them, but he wanted them around. He actually liked them.

Nick turned back around the littered road he was on. He shouldn't be spending too much time out here, just in case there were some quiet infected out. He began to walk back and could barely make out the gas lamp the trucker hung outside their door in the distance.

He was once again reminded of the bridge's safe house. Nick remembered after hearing Zoey, Louis, and Francis' conversation that he walked back to his own group and asked them, "If you guys could have anything in the world right now, besides world peace or this apocalypse ending or some shit, what would it be?"

"What kind of question is that?" He remembered the news producer asking.

"I don't know. Just answer. Has to be applicable to you, obviously."

"Mine would be to meet up with Keith to know he's okay! And, you know, my family, of course. I mean, I know my buddy Keith could survive anything, but it would be damn great if we could reunite!" Ellis chirped up. "Who doesn't want to know that their friends are okay?"

"Hm… I guess mine would be to make it all out okay with you guys. I want to make sure we all end up safe together," Rochelle commented with a smile.

"And I want to know my wife and kids are okay. Couldn't stand knowing otherwise." Coach grinned. "Why, I remember it was on bright nights like this we'd let our kids stay up late and eat some homemade pie together. They loved looking at the moon while eating it."

They all sighed. Rochelle turned her head to look at Nick. "What about you Nick?"

"Me?"

"Yes, of course you."

"Me? Well, I…"

Returning to reality, Nick looked up at the bright moon above him. "I want to be on the water."

But he didn't tell them that. He remembered blowing off the question by saying he didn't know and would think about it. Rochelle knew something was up, so she confronted him during their stay at the safe house before the stadium at the carnival. Why she remembered and pursued an answer so much later, Nick could only assume it was because she cared for everyone. He told her his real response and the lake and the reasoning behind it, to which she replied back, "I hope we can be the water for you."

It was after this night in particular he began to attach fragments of information to them more frequently. They became more than just some people he happened upon with hopes. They became _actual_ people. They became _human_. They were no longer the static figures Nick resorted to picturing people as for his own sake. They became a team he believed could survive this hell of a world together. They all had future islands they yearned to get to even if they seemed far out of reach, or simply impossible. Hopes and dreams would fall casualty numerous times, but they'd fight on. One day, they'd all reach an island, whether or not it was the one they dreamed of. One day.

Nick reached the hotel and quietly stepped into the room. He could see Ellis and Coach sleeping soundly, one on a bed and the other on the sofa. He looked over to the other bed and saw Rochelle sitting upright greeting him with a soft smile. Briefly returning the gesture, he plopped on the bed next to her.

"You find any lakes?" Ro asked. He knew she was well aware there were none.

Nick gazed at her for a few seconds, then back at the two sleeping teammates opposite of them. The sun began to rise. He grinned. "Yeah, I did."

* * *

_Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I'm slowly getting back into writing._

_-tofu_


	2. Before the Bridge

Before the Bridge

* * *

Before the bridge, Nick's attachments were limited to guns he happened upon and medicine he had room to hold. He stocked up as much as he possibly could in order to survive the hellish world. There were no passing thoughts or immediate reactions to help out those around him, except in the case the victims would offer him something greater in return. The latter hardly occurred.

Nick thought the trio of people he met at The Vannah would be just like any other encounters. They'd meet, they'd use each other until they reached their goals, they'd part ways, and they'd forget each other within a day. The protocol Nick was used to, however, did not apply here.

He began to notice their deviation from previous groups once they descended down the flaming hotel. They had a much more lighthearted view about the world than others. He couldn't figure out how or why. The fact they were lighthearted and played this attitude off of each other confused Nick to no end. This made them seem they put their guards down, but their skills in fending for themselves said otherwise. How quickly they trusted each other; he'd keep his gate closed for the time being. He gave a cold front, as he was not used to the situation.

Following the gun shop, they had to retrieve cola from a drug store across the street. The younger man with the hat ecstatically offered to carry the six-pack, to which Nick mentally groaned. His ecstasy would be his fault, Nick thought, but time and time again Nick was proven wrong. The group "escorted" the pack of cola to the man behind the door, allowing them to further their trek to the mall. During the whole quest, Nick found himself laughing; but if he was laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation or the fact he was stupidly running with these strangers carrying soda, he wasn't sure of. He didn't know if he cared. Afterwards, he joked around with the kid and learned he was a mechanic.

They got to the mall. It was dark, chock full of infected, and unwelcoming. The bigger man expressed his deep concern for the food court's well being, worried more about the area's potentially bad condition than his bleeding arm. The food court ended up being in bad condition. Nick couldn't help but shake his head and smile at the happening. He patted the man on the back and gave him a chocolate bar he found in a vending machine earlier. The older fellow kindly declined it and said Nick could keep it. He only accepted candy from his kids, but even then he wanted them to enjoy it.

The group happened upon a gasless car sitting in the mall. They rushed to fill it up and drove out. The younger man was overjoyed, despite the car being dreadfully small. Nick hated the clustered feeling of the car, but the warmth the others gave off relaxed him just a tad.

They drove for some time before coming upon a bridge. They managed to get some help from those atop the bridge in order to cross. Nick found himself amused at the small crush the trucker boy developed and how the vested man on the bridge dressed. Nick didn't like how he treated the news producer. What a pig.

After the bridge, it took a few days to get to the carnival due to detours and closed off freeways. However, those few days had Nick come to a realization he wasn't expecting.

The first night, the coach and trucker were asleep by the car. Nick and the news producer stayed up to ensure the safety of the crew. She didn't have to, Nick told her, but she insisted. They sat a bit away from the other two, under a tree. The area was silent enough to hear any infected that could potentially come near. Somehow, their distance signified security. This apocalyptic world truly did twist things.

The moon was bright and the stars shone brightly. The two gazed up at them, feeling at rest. This was the closest they'd probably get to relax in awhile, she commented. He agreed.

The second night was no different. Again, the same two were sleeping and Nick and the woman stayed up. He pointed out the Pegasus constellation and she wondered how it could possibly look like a horse with wings. Fuck if he knew, he replied, and they laughed together. He felt at ease.

The third night came. It was their turn to rest. The football coach and Ellis sat a bit away from the car laughing about some band. The boy was in a big tree, the coach standing under it. Nick and Ro sat in the car due to the night being extra cold. It was much warmer in the closed space. He didn't feel as crowded this time, maybe because there were only two people. They talked about the chances they'd run into the military and what could happen. They didn't know, but it was a direction to follow for now. She said if they get shot, at least they'd fight it out together. He agreed. Wanting to look at the sky again, he asked her if she wanted to as well. She was more than happy too. They exited the vehicle and stared at the vast, glittering sea above them. Silence had never been more comfortable.

He thanked her, but couldn't pinpoint for what reason. It didn't matter.

It was then Nick realized they did have something worthwhile to offer in return. What they gave him was something he couldn't quite verbalize. Most importantly to Nick though, they offered him their names which he accepted in time, something he'd refuse to look back upon as a mistake; he wouldn't allow it. And that's who they were: Ellis, Coach, and Rochelle.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! As a heads up, these chapters won't be linked. There won't be any specific storyline. I think this will be pretty Nick centric (and Ro centric, and/or Nick/Ro centric; love the sass duo!) for the most part. _

_-tofu_


End file.
